1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and improved truck body construction for separate handling of re-cyclable refuse. More particularly the invention relates to a collection truck body having separate compartments for re-cyclable materials such as paper, glass and aluminum cans. Segregated re-cyclable refuse is loaded into the separate compartments as the truck proceeds along its route and at the end of the trip the compartments are separately unloaded. The invention also relates to a means for hoisting the refuse from ground level to the top of the truck body and dumping the refuse into chutes communicating with the separate compartments. The hoisting mechanism preferably has a bin separated into longitudinally spaced apart bin compartments for the separate types of refuse, each bin communicating with a particular chute for a specific body compartment. Additionally provision is made for hooking collection carts to the bins and securing the carts in place during the dumping process.
2. Description of Related Art
Hoists alongside refuse vehicles are known in the art and are illustrated by such references as U.S. Pats. No. 1,400,543and 3,136,436. However, the present invention includes many features not shown in the prior art including providing compartmented bins which are permanently attached to the hoist and are tucked under the bottom of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling along the highway but which are brought into operative position when collections are being made. Further, the present invention provides means for latching wheeled collection carts onto the outside of the bin and securing the carts in place while dumping of the bin is occurring so that the carts and bin are dumped simultaneously.
Compartmentalized truck bodies have been used for transportation of the segregated solids such as different sizes of aggregate, sand and the like. However, the partitions for such bodies have generally extended transversely so that when the bodies are tilted, only the contents of one compartment are shifted. In the present invention, a body may be tilted about a horizontal transverse axis so that the refuse in all of the compartments is shifted rearwardly, permitting additional refuse to be loaded.